Carnival Dream June 8-15

[sailingwithfriends]

Sixteen of my family and friends were fortunate enough to be able to travel on Carnival Dream from June 8th-15th. I have been using Cruise Critic for several months to get advise and suggestions, so I am going to share my opinions on the ship.

 

We traveled to Cape Canaveral the day before we were to board the ship. We stayed at the Radisson at the Port. We booked a room that included breakfast, parking and shuttle service to and from the port. The staff was very friendly. The hotel is very nice and clean. We booked a king sized suite that allowed our daughter to sleep on the sleeper sofa in the sitting room. The breakfast was good. The pool’s water was a little cool for me. I did use the hot tub. It was great, but did get a little crowded at times. The staff had a hard time keeping enough towels for the guest to use by the pool. There are a lot of tables and chairs available for groups to hang out together. There is a bar and live music around the pool. My only complaint was the uncomfortable sleep number beds. I did speak up when we checked out and they told me they are replacing the mattresses. The shuttle service to the port was very organized and comfortable. You move your car to the side of the hotel while you cruise. (There is also parking across the street for people that don’t stay at the hotel.) Returning to the hotel was not so great. When the porter brought our luggage to the spot where we were to meet the shuttle bus, other passengers were not so nice. They shoved and pushed, rather than waiting their turn. The woman collecting the return tickets was very frustrated. However, we were able to board the second bus in about 15 minutes. The driver was so kind and the bus was air-conditioned. He dropped us off very close to our parked car. It did not take long to pack up our van and be on our way.

 

Embarkation

This was so smooth. The shuttle bus dropped us off with our luggage. The porters took the luggage. (Our bus driver told us that the luggage workers make $30.00 per hour and do expect a tip). After our luggage was taken, we walked a little distance and entered the building. We went through security (bags and bodies were scanned). Our passports were shown. We then went to check in. Carnival had many, many workers to help with this. We walked up to the window, checked in, got out sail-and-sign cards, and our pictures made. Then we were given an embarkation number. We sat down for about five minutes and our number was called. We then went upstairs where we presented our sail-and-sign cards. We again sat about 5 minutes before we were allowed to board the ship. At this point, we had a group photo made. From the time we were dropped off at the port until we entered the ship, was 41 minutes. You walk in on deck 3 at the atrium. It is very gold and glitzy. We made our way to the buffet on deck 10. There were almost no lines. I wish I had gone ahead an eaten at the burrito bar that day, because there were no lines when we boarded. That was not the case later on. After we ate, we explored a little. We decided to see if our rooms were ready at around 12:45. They were, so we left our carry on luggage in the room and spent some time looking around. My husband used this time to purchase Internet usage. At 3:30, we went to the safety drill in the Crimson Dining room. We sat in chairs that were turned away from the tables. Table clothes were pushed into the center of the table, so no one could mess with the salt/pepper shakers. The entire drill took about 20 minutes. There were several staff members located throughout the dining room demonstrating how to use the life vest. Children 11 and under were given arm bracelets to put on. They are required to wear them the entire cruise. After the drill, we returned to our cabin to unpack. Unfortunately, because we were one of the first to board the ship, we were the last to receive our luggage. It arrived in our cabin at 5:30. It was very hectic trying to unpack before our first night’s dinner at 6:00.

 

Compared to the three other cruises I have taken, I would say that this embarkation was the easiest. My only complaint was not getting my luggage until late. However, I know that someone has to be last. It was just our turn.

 

Stateroom and Deck

We were in stateroom 7459. It is an aft wrap cabin on the Empress deck. Part of the deck on the side has an overhang, which was much appreciated during the heat of the day. I loved this cabin and deck. Two of our couple friends had the two adjoining decks. Our wonderful cabin steward opened up the walls between our decks, so we had one very large deck. This deck was great in the morning and at night. It was just too hot from the hours of 10:00 AM-6:00 PM to be comfortable out there. There were a few times when black ash was on the floor of the deck. The deck was washed and cleaned during the week, so it wasn’t a problem. We did put a beach towel on the chairs before we sat. On two days, I napped on the lounge chair under the overhang. The temperature was great in the shade, even during the day.

 

Our cabin was an odd shaped cabin. The queen-sized bed (not king which is listed) was under a large window. We had another large window and a door to the deck. This cabin has great views of the ocean. At night, there are curtains that block out the light. This was needed because one of the ship’s lights shown down onto our deck at night. There is a mini-frig and safe in a cabinet under the television. There is a desk with four drawers for storage. Two small bedside tables are also available for storage. There are three closets. One has four shelves. The other two have a hanging bar. Life vest are stored in one if the hanging closets. We were able to store all our hanging clothes, shoes and other clothing in these closets with not problem. We stored our luggage under the bed. The bathroom has 6 shelves above the sink. There is also a small shelf in the shower. The water pressure and temperature of the water is great.

 

The cabin and bathroom are cleaned at least twice a day. Besides the cabin being cleaned and the bed made, they fold the toilet paper into a triangle once it has been cleaned.

 

This cabin is very quiet, except when the ship is coming into or leaving port. You can really hear the ship’s thrusters. This was only a problem on the last day when we were awakened while pulling into port. On other days, we were usually on our deck so it didn’t bother us.

 

Staff

The ship’s staff was fantastic. They all did their job while appearing very happy. It amazes me that our cabin steward and serving staff called us by name after meeting us the first time. It was obvious that these people are very happy with their jobs. We spoke on one of the security guards while we were boarding the ship while in port. She talked about her small cabin. But she also bragged that she had been with Carnival for 8 years and some of the employees on the ship had been there for 30 years.

 

We only had one concern with the staff on the entire trip. It was not a problem; it was an inconvenience. We ate in the Scarlet Dining room. Our group had two dining tables with 8 people at each table. We were not assigned the same wait staff. Each group of three wait staff has several tables they serve. Our servers came to us first, and then went to the other tables. The servers at our other group’s table served them last. That meant we didn’t finish our meal at the same time. I stopped by the maitre ’d desk as we were leaving the second evening. He stated he was take care of it. The next day, the problem was solved. The maitre’ d’s name is Shane. He is absolutely fantastic. In the past, I have basically ignored the maitre’d. You could not do that on this cruise. Every evening, he made announcements about the entertainment that evening. He was very funny and had everyone involved in his greetings. If you take this ship, you will know how to say “Hellooooo”. Shane also appreciates his staff and makes sure we know it.

 

We needed to call maintenance once because my husband somehow locked the safe while it was opened and we couldn’t close it. They were there in five minutes. Our friends’ shower was backed up when they boarded the ship. It was fixed immediately.

 

Food/Dining

We ate every evening in the main dining room. The food was really, really good. The beef was always very tender and flavorful. I am a little picky about the “critters” I eat, so I mainly stick with beef and chicken. Every main course I ate was wonderful. I experimented a little with the appetizers and desserts. (On the last Carnival cruise, I only ate the Warm Melting Chocolate Cake). All the appetizers were wonderful. I could probably make a meal off of them. I did try several of the desserts. They were all very good. However, my favorite is still the WMCC. I did notice that everyone dressed very appropriately in the dining room.

 

The taste of the water on the ship in the main dining room varied from day to day. In the beginning of the cruise, the water was very good. During the middle of the cruise, it started to have a different taste. It wasn't bad, it was just different. At the end of the cruise, the water again tasted good. My father decided to just order lemonade with his meals.

 

We ate at the Punchline Brunch on both sea days. The food was great, especially the steak and eggs.

 

We at breakfast in the main dining room three days and ate at the buffet a couple of days. I really prefer the main dining room. I like to be seated and have someone bring me my food. My parents preferred the buffet because they like a little bit of a lot of food. Every breakfast food I ate was great. They did run out of bananas on Thursday.

 

I loved the Lanai BBQ. The hamburger sliders were wonderful. I loved the salsas. The smell of this BBQ makes your mouth water.

 

One day I decided to try the burrito bar. I had to wait in line about 15 minutes. I was tired that day, so the wait seemed very long. My burrito was prepared just as I requested. However, the taste was just okay. I’ve had much better. I decided that the wait was not worth it.

 

We did stop by the buffet for ice cream several times on this trip. My favorite was the chocolate. It taste like a Wendy’s frosty to me. You can also get lemonade, tea, water and coffee all day in the buffet area.

 

My friend ate at the Tandoor Indian Restaurant once. She had the honey chicken and said it was fantastic.

 

I had a grilled cheese and ham sandwich at the grill. It was very good.

My father regularly ate a Ruben from the deli. He also enjoyed the hot dogs and hamburgers from the grill.

 

My favorite food venue was the free room service that we enjoyed every morning. We had coffee, yogurt and fruit delivered every morning. They always arrived on time. I did pack some flavored coffee creamers to add to my coffee. We would sit out on our deck and welcome the day. Once we ordered the chocolate cake and cookies. The cake was absolutely fantastic. I highly recommend that you order it. It did take about 45 minutes for it to arrive.

 

Ports

Cozumel: We shopped for about an hour when we left the ship. The port feels very safe and clean. I bought a lot of pottery. Don’t purchase your items at the first few stores. The prices decrease when you go further back into the shopping area. We ate lunch at Ponchos Backyards. It was delicious. After lunch, we returned to our ship and dropped off our packages. We then changed into bathing suits and left the ship. Taxis are available at the end of the shopping area. There is a chart that tells you the price of the ride. We decided to go to Paradise Beach. It was about a 15-minute ride. The cost was $14.00 for four of us. Several people in our group rode in a van. They also paid an average of about $2.50 each. The drivers waited for us to drive us back to the ship. It was the same cost to return to ship.

Paradise Beach is a pretty resort. There are restrooms and changing facilities. There is a huge pool and swim up bar. It cost $2.00 to rent a chair on the beach. They ask that you spend at least $10.00 at the resort. We didn’t, but no one said anything. The beach is also pretty. There are lots of chairs and some of the places have shade. If you go to this beach, I advise you to wear water shoes. There is a lot of seaweed and rocks in the shallow part of the water. We actually walked down the pier and jumped off the dock. The water was great. It wasn’t as clear as the water in port, but you could see through it. Paradise Beach also has a lot of water toys you can play on. You can purchase an armband for $12.00 and play all day.

 

Belize: Because the water is shallow, you have to tender into the port. The ride over on the boat did not seem like it took very long. When you pull into the port, there are some very nice houses and shops. We stopped by the restroom and then looked for our tour. We booked an excursion through Cavetubing.Bz. This was a great choice. For $50.00 each, we had inner tubes that were linked together. There were 14 of us in our group. We had 3 guides with us at all times. We rode in a nice air-conditioned van. On the way to the caves and while traveling back to port, the guides gave us so much information and history about the area. They were so proud of their country. Our cost also included a delicious meal cooked by the owner’s grandmother at the owner’s home. I am so glad we didn’t book this excursion through cruise lines. The cost through the cruise line was $119.00 per person. They didn’t go into as many caves, nor did they enjoy the leisure float down the river after exiting the caves. I will say you need to be in pretty good physical condition to take this tour. We walked at least 45 minutes on a river rock lined path before entering the water. The guides are very informative about the plants and animals in the area. They would point out different plants and what they are used for. I was becoming concerned about the length of the hike until we enter the caves. My father is in his 70’s and was getting tired. Once we entered the water, I knew it was worth it.

After lunch, we drove back to the port. This area is a little “shady”. I didn’t feel very comfortable here. There were a lot of soldiers with machine guns. We actually only stayed and shopped for a few minutes, then we took the tender back to the ship. Or I should say we tried to take the tender back. My family and friends decided to ride on the top of the boat. The boat was loaded and we head towards the ship. The captain of the tender was not driving towards the ship. Then the boat stopped. We were just floating in the ocean. Then another tender pulls up next to us and several men work to hook the boats together. Our boat was really rocking. Some not-so-smart person in charge, decided to unload the bottom level of the boat first. That meant all the weight was on the top. We were really rocking in the water. Finally we transferred to the other tender. It was not difficult to do. About 45 minutes after we left port, we were able to get back on board the Dream.

 

Roatan: This is a beautiful port. It is very clean and you feel very safe. We decided we would not rush to get off the ship. Several people in our group had read that you could snorkel and see a lot of fish and coral if you go to the end of the beach and go off the left side of the pier. Several of us brought blow up floats and decided to play in the water or sit in a chair and read a book. (We didn’t think to reapply sunscreen as often as we should have. Many of us got sunburned this day.) Several of us also decided to purchase passage in the sky lift. I am so glad we spent the $12.00 to do this. Besides riding it to the beach, we rode it again to just be able to observe the beauty. The beach is very nice. There are chairs in the shade and chairs in the sun. There is not cost to use the chairs. I do recommend that you wear water shoes if you plan to go very far in the water. You will occasionally step on rock or coral. Those that snorkeled loved seeing the fish and coral. They actually saw a barracuda fish. Those of us that floated and played in the water saw lots of coral and small fish. The water was a great temperature and very calm. After playing in the water for about 2 hours, we went back to the ship to shower and eat lunch. After lunch, we decided to ride the sky lift again and then go shopping. The shops are very nice at Mahogany Bay, but they don’t bargain like they do in other ports.

Costa Maya: This was our last port. When you get off the ship, they have a trolley that will take you down the long pier. You can also walk the pier to get to the shops. You will see armed guards. I never felt uncomfortable in this port. It is a well-maintained port. There is a swimming pool in the middle of the port. There is also a dolphin swim area. I wasn’t too crazy about the shops. I felt like I was in Panama City Beach with all the crowds. Because this was our shortest day in port, not many people took excursions. That made the port area feel very crowded. I did purchase some pure vanilla and pottery. Again, you need to shop around. The stores at the end of the shopping area are much cheaper for the very same item that is sold in the first stores. I also decided to get back on the ship when I made my purchase and the clerk held up a bucket and told me to give him a tip. All he did was use the cash register and take my money. Needless to say, I didn’t think he needed a tip. We rode the trolley back to the ship and I decided to take a nap on our deck.

 

Entertainment:

I’m not much of a pool person, so I can’t tell you how the pools were. I did notice they looked crowded at times and then not crowded at other times. I saw lots of empty chairs.

 

We did play the slot machines on several days. I lost all my money, but I enjoy myself. My husband actually won enough to cover my losses. We generally budget so much money for the entire cruise. When it is gone, you stop playing.

 

We did go to the comedy club (adult comedy) twice. Both times it was crowded, but we found seats. The comedians were very funny.

 

We watched two of the musical productions. I enjoyed both of them. The female singer is great. The male lead singer sings better in the beginning of the show, but as he gets tired, his voice is not as good.

 

We went to the Love and Marriage Show on the last sea day. My parents were the longest married couple. Because it was my parents up on the stage talking about their love life, I was embarrassed. However, the rest of the audiences seem to think it was very funny. All three couples won a bottle of wine and ship-on-a-stick.

 

There are a lot of activities available throughout the day. However, we decided to just enjoy our friends and relax on most days.

 

Debarkation

This was a breeze. We packed out bags the night before. We left out an outfit to wear the next day and our toiletries. Those would go in our carry-ons. After being awakened early by the noise of the thrusters, we got dressed and packed our carry on bags. We then went to the dining room for breakfast. After breakfast, our number (8) was called. We walked down to level 3. (It is easier to use the stairs than to wait on the elevators). We used our sail-and-sign card for the last time as we left the ship. Then we went down the escalator to get our luggage. It was easy to find. All the bags in with our debarkation number were located on a table together. I recommend that you use a porter to take your bags. We used bright yellow ribbons on our suitcases, so it helped locate them easier. The porter actually took 14 bags for several of us. We tipped him a couple of dollars a bag. He took us straight through customs. We presented out passports and customs form. From the time our debarkation number was called until we were outside of the port waiting to board out bus back to the hotel took about 20 minutes.

 

Overall Opinions

I really enjoyed this ship. I think the food in the main dining room is excellent. There are so many dining options on the ship. The staff was wonderful. The ship is very glitzy. It is a little bit over decorated for my taste, but it is clean and well maintained. I loved our cabin and would gladly book it again. I am already looking to see what other ports the Dream sails to. We might just book her again.

[missypriss19]

Sounds like you had a wonderful time. I have done that itinerary before and loved it. We were on the Magic though. Wonderful review.

[Ourfirstfamilycruise]

Thank you for posting such a great review. I really enjoyed your shopping tips. Glad you had a good trip. We leave for her in 20 days!!!

[battchief1]

Thanks for the review. Leaving on her in 5 days doing the same route. Do you remember what the internet package cost? Glad you had a good time.

[sonicbuffalo]

We did the Eastern itinearary on the Dream and we loved it...see my review!

[Swampbabe]

We were on this sailing as well and I would cuncur with the bulk of this post from the OP. We ate in the MDR three of the seven nights, the steakhouse once, the buffet twice, and room service once. All were good to excellent, although the reason we only ate in the MDR three times was because the menu did not appeal at all. I wish some of the choices were a little more "high end" but that's not really Carnival's target passenger, so it's all good.

 

This vacation was a relaxing one for us as we have had an exciting, stressful year and all we wanted to do was "hang out" as I can't speak to the entertainment options on the ship because we didn't attend any shows because either we were tired or they didn't interest us.

 

Roatan was WONDERFUL and I would go back there for a land vacation. As always, Cozumel was great, didn't get off in Belize, and just wandered the port in Costa Maya. I was concerned about an excursion in Costa Maya because of the short port time. Next time I would go to the beach clubs in town as they were pretty close.

 

The internet package that we bought was 59.00 for 120 minutes and that was adequate for our needs as we had to check emails because we are getting ready to close on our house, had to check in the with daughter at home, and my husband did have read some business emails.

 

We really enoyed our trip and to be honest I was a little worried after reading some of the things on these boards. We really didn't come into contact with rowdy kids, the staff was awesome, and the food was good. Some of the other pax were a little sketchy but that is everywhere. The two that stand out was the one young man who was very heavily inked, big guages in his ears, and 666 tatooed on the back of his neck and the young lady sitting on the pool deck eating pizza who dropped her pizza on the pool deck, picked it up, and then continued to eat it. Yuck! I think she then relieved herself in her lounger. That or she dropped a drink in her lap and it fell right under her bottom and puddled up.

 

I would definitely sail Carnival again.

[sonicbuffalo]

We were on this sailing as well and I would cuncur with the bulk of this post from the OP. We ate in the MDR three of the seven nights, the steakhouse once, the buffet twice, and room service once. All were good to excellent, although the reason we only ate in the MDR three times was because the menu did not appeal at all. I wish some of the choices were a little more "high end" but that's not really Carnival's target passenger, so it's all good.

 

This vacation was a relaxing one for us as we have had an exciting, stressful year and all we wanted to do was "hang out" as I can't speak to the entertainment options on the ship because we didn't attend any shows because either we were tired or they didn't interest us.

 

Roatan was WONDERFUL and I would go back there for a land vacation. As always, Cozumel was great, didn't get off in Belize, and just wandered the port in Costa Maya. I was concerned about an excursion in Costa Maya because of the short port time. Next time I would go to the beach clubs in town as they were pretty close.

 

The internet package that we bought was 59.00 for 120 minutes and that was adequate for our needs as we had to check emails because we are getting ready to close on our house, had to check in the with daughter at home, and my husband did have read some business emails.

 

We really enoyed our trip and to be honest I was a little worried after reading some of the things on these boards. We really didn't come into contact with rowdy kids, the staff was awesome, and the food was good. Some of the other pax were a little sketchy but that is everywhere. The two that stand out was the one young man who was very heavily inked, big guages in his ears, and 666 tatooed on the back of his neck and the young lady sitting on the pool deck eating pizza who dropped her pizza on the pool deck, picked it up, and then continued to eat it. Yuck! I think she then relieved herself in her lounger. That or she dropped a drink in her lap and it fell right under her bottom and puddled up.

 

I would definitely sail Carnival again.

 

sounds like you were surrounded by Jerry Springer types!:eek:

[Swampbabe]

sounds like you were surrounded by Jerry Springer types!:eek:

 

Not surrounded at all :D It's just that those two kinda stood out ;)

[JaniceB]

Thank you for the very detailed report!

[sailingwithfriends]

Thanks for the review. Leaving on her in 5 days doing the same route. Do you remember what the internet package cost? Glad you had a good time.

 

The internet package that my husband purchased cost $89.00 for 120 minutes. Unfortunately, he had to purchase it twice. He said it would have been cheaper to buy the largest package. (He really likes to keep in touch with the real world while we are cruising. He also posted pictures to facebook while we were still on board.)

[Swampbabe]

The internet package that my husband purchased cost $89.00 for 120 minutes. Unfortunately, he had to purchase it twice. He said it would have been cheaper to buy the largest package. (He really likes to keep in touch with the real world while we are cruising. He also posted pictures to facebook while we were still on board.)

 

We paid 59. for 120 min. It was 89. for 240 min. VERY SLOW minutes. Same sailing.

[sailingwithfriends]

We were on this sailing as well and I would cuncur with the bulk of this post from the OP. We ate in the MDR three of the seven nights, the steakhouse once, the buffet twice, and room service once. All were good to excellent, although the reason we only ate in the MDR three times was because the menu did not appeal at all. I wish some of the choices were a little more "high end" but that's not really Carnival's target passenger, so it's all good.

 

This vacation was a relaxing one for us as we have had an exciting, stressful year and all we wanted to do was "hang out" as I can't speak to the entertainment options on the ship because we didn't attend any shows because either we were tired or they didn't interest us.

 

Roatan was WONDERFUL and I would go back there for a land vacation. As always, Cozumel was great, didn't get off in Belize, and just wandered the port in Costa Maya. I was concerned about an excursion in Costa Maya because of the short port time. Next time I would go to the beach clubs in town as they were pretty close.

 

The internet package that we bought was 59.00 for 120 minutes and that was adequate for our needs as we had to check emails because we are getting ready to close on our house, had to check in the with daughter at home, and my husband did have read some business emails.

 

We really enoyed our trip and to be honest I was a little worried after reading some of the things on these boards. We really didn't come into contact with rowdy kids, the staff was awesome, and the food was good. Some of the other pax were a little sketchy but that is everywhere. The two that stand out was the one young man who was very heavily inked, big guages in his ears, and 666 tatooed on the back of his neck and the young lady sitting on the pool deck eating pizza who dropped her pizza on the pool deck, picked it up, and then continued to eat it. Yuck! I think she then relieved herself in her lounger. That or she dropped a drink in her lap and it fell right under her bottom and puddled up.

 

I would definitely sail Carnival again.

 

We had originally planned on eating in the steak house. However, after eating the beef in the main dining room, we decide to stay with our already paid for meals. The meats were wonderful. The only meal that I heard a complaint about with the red snapper. Two people that ordered it said it was too fishy tasting.

My father traveled with us. He is a regular cruiser with Royal Caribbean. He felt the main dining room food was better than RC, but the buffet on RC was better than Carnival. He did like the food at the Punchline Brunch a lot.

 

I would not get off the ship in Belize if we didn't have an excursion booked. I felt safe with the guides from Cavetubing.Bz. Belize was actually my favorite day.

If I went to Costa Maya again, I would just stay on the ship or take an excursion.

 

I felt the passengers on the ship were all well behaved and they dressed appropriately. We didn't hang out at the pool, so I didn't get to witness behaviors there. I'm sure that some people consumed a little too much alcohol, so their behavior might have been a little "Jerry". I've seen that behavior in lots of places where alcohol is served.

 

We enjoyed the ship. I'm currently looking into taking it for the Eastern or Southern Caribbean next summer. I'm comparing dates and cost of several cruise lines. I would not hesitate to sail on the dream again.

[CruzinScotty]

We were also on the same sailing. In fact, we were only 4-5 rooms down from you on the Empress Deck. :)

 

Thanks for the detailed descriptions you gave; my FIL commented the last day about the ship running out of bananas as well.

 

We did the Steak House one night, it was our first time. I had the best Filet I've ever had. We did the buffet one night, just because we didn't want to sit as long that night at dinner.

 

I had the lunch Burrito the first day. It was nice with no line.

 

We had no complaints with the food. We did the Brunch, Deli, Mongolian BBQ. On the last day we realized we hadn't done the Pasta Bar. But that was the day of the Chocolate Extravaganza, so we didn't want such a filling lunch. I think the desserts on the buffet were better than on the Liberty last year. I've learned to stay away from a lot of the "cake" desserts as they tend to be too dry. Everything I had this year was very good.

 

We also did the productions shows and quite a few comedy shows. All great fun.

 

It was our first time on the Dream. I don't think it will be out last; we're looking at the 8 day Eastern for next year.

[sailingwithfriends]

I did think of a couple of other things I wanted to share.

One of my favorite activities one evening was going all the way forward on deck 9 (or 10). You have to go through some doors that look like they are off limits. They aren't marked, so just keep going through them.The sky was very clear. We actually lay down on the deck floor and gazed at the stars. We saw several shooting stars. If you do this, beware, it is very windy. Your hair will be a mess afterwards, but it is worth it.

 

Another activity that you should go watch, or participate in, is the martini making at the bar next to the taste bar. When someone picks out four different flavors of martini they would like to try, the bar tender does this great trick and pours them all at once into four separate glasses. I watched this twice and was amazed.

 

I suggest you take your camera with you to dinner. The servers will entertain you almost nightly. One night our servers (Charles, Maynarld and Dindo) put on funny wigs and really enjoyed themselves.

 

I did try the Pasta Bar one day. It was very good. I had read that the stairs to access the Pasta Bar was located in the gathering. There was a sign across the staircase that made it look like it was closed. When you look carefully at the sign, it directed you to go to the outside aft staircase next to the elevators. I recommend you try this at least once. The food was prepared very quickly. It was not crowded. I did this on Wednesday and there were lots of empty tables.

[JaniceB]

The forward area on the ship is great for watching the pier runners when you leave port.

 

Glad you enjoyed the pasta bar, I liked it on the Breeze but it was a restaurant. I want to check it out on the Dream.